Proctor reportedly confessed Tuesday to murdering Patterson, as he spoke with investigators in Madison County.

After the discovery of the body, forensic investigators continued to excavate the area for several hours to try to uncover other evidence.

Patterson divorced Proctor in 1994, shortly after he was convicted of assault against her. Patterson graduated from Grissom High School in 1988, when she was then known as Amy Guenther. Her family still lives in Huntsville.

The 41-year-old middle school teacher reconciled with Proctor in 2011 and was planning for the first day of class when she seemingly vanished into thin air. A month later, Proctor showed up in Huntsville in Amy’s car, but his ex-wife was nowhere to be found. Police said Proctor then ditched the vehicle in Alabama, stole another car, and drove back to Florida where he was arrested for car theft. At that time, investigators brought him back to Madison County to face theft charges.